Gas and oil burner



April 6, 1943. J. M. RYAN GAS AND OIL BURNER Filed April 10, 1941INVENTOR m amyam ea ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 6, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE GAS AND 01L BURNER James M. Ryan, Pearsall, Tex.

Application April 10, 1941, Serial No. 387,347

1 Claim. (Cl. 158-75) This invention relates to gas and oil burners andmore particularly to a structural combination for the burning, in thesame apparatus, of either gas or oil, and, without absolute limitationthereto, an apparatus for the heating of steam boilers and otherappliances or devices generally used in the natural gas and oil fieldsand alternatively burning such gas as there produced or such of thecheaper low grade and heavier fuel oils as may be locally available.

An object of the invention is to improve generally upon gas and oilburners of the character above noted.

Another object is to simplify the structure and yet increase thestrength thereof so as to make it more durable and prolong the lifethereof in the rough usage to which such devices are subjected.

A further object is to produce a structure in which the control of thesupply of the different elements entering into the combustible mixturesis simplified and maximum emciency is attained in the operation of theapparatus.

Other objects and advantages to be attained will hereinafter more fullyappear.

The invention consists in the novel general structure and in theparticular parts and combinations and arrangements thereof, ashereinafter described and then defined in the appended claim, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing illustrating a practicalembodiment of the invention and in which- Figure l is a view of theapparatus, partially in top plan and partially in horizontal section;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, but with theoil-lifting tubes removed from the manifold connector pipes.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the numeral l designates oneeach of a pair of main air conducting pipes which lead from a source ofair supply under pressure, not shown, said pipes being cross-connectedby auxiliary manifold pipes 2, said pipes I and 2 being in constantcommunication with each other through openings 3. The manifold pipes 2are cross-connected at intervals throughout the length thereof by aplurality of additional manifold pipes 4, and, preferably as shown moreclearly in Figure 3, constant communication is established between saidpipes 2 and 4 by vertical nipples 5, said nipples being extended well upinto the pipes 4 so that their upper ends terminate in a planeapproximately at the axis of the pipes 4 and preferably a slightdistance thereabove.

Extending upwardly from each of two adjacent pipes 4 are connector pipesB which are convergent and have their meeting end portions rigidlyattached to and in communication with a ring member I which constitutes,in effect, a mixing and combustion chamber 8 which is open at its top.The structure thus far described being rigid, it is self-supportablewhen installed for use and it further constitutes a base frame forsupporting the rest of the structure to be now described.

Supported from the mixing and combustion chamber ring members 7 and theconnector pipes 6, of which there are several in the structure, is a gasor steam manifold pipe frame comprising parallel transverse pipesections 9 which are welded or otherwise securely fastened to saidelements 6 and 1 with a tight seal therebetween, said pipe sections 9being rigidly attached at their opposite ends to and in constantcommunication with parallel side pipe sections H3, one of said pipesections In having a supply pipe Ii connected thereto and provided witha conventional controlling valve or damper l2 and leading from a sourceof gas or steam supply, not shown. The main air supply pipes I are alsoprovided with controlling valves or dampers 2 at convenient points inthe length thereof, preferably in proximity to the first adjacentauxiliary manifold pipe 2 as shown in Figure l.

The respective gas or steam manifold pipes 9 are provided with jetnozzles l3 which are located axially at the bottoms of the respectivemixing and combustion chambers 8, as shown more clearly in Figure 3which illustrates the construction and arrangement of the parts when theapparatus is used only as a gas burner. In this connection, theoperation of the apparatus will now be described.

At the outset, it is here noted that the apparatus of the presentinvention, for one particular use thereof, is designed for utilizinggas, more especially natural gas, in the combustible mixiure and underconsiderable pressure, that is to say, usually under a pressure of 150to 750 pounds, which pressure may vary between the limits mentionedduring the operation of the burner. For this reason, therefore, therespeciive manifold pipes which carry the gas and also the pipescarrying the air which is supplied at a proportionate pressure, areproportioned in ca pacity and valve-controlled in any approved andobvious manner (not shown) in addition to the provision of thehereinbefore described valve elements or dampers l2 and I2. Thus, thegas is discharged from the manifold pipes 9 in a jet through andupwardly from the restricted orifice of each nozzle l3 and oommingleswith the convergent stream of air which is forced upwardly through theconnector pipes 6 from the manifold pipes 4, thereby producing acombustible mixture in the chamber 8, which mixture is ignited and burnswith a flame within or directly above the outlet opening of saidchamber.

It is here further noted that in addition to providing for the controland regulation of the supply of gas and air to the several mixing andcombustion chambers 8 in the manner just above stated, the several jetnozzles 13 may be made in different sizes, that is to say, with orificesof different capacities and fitted interchangeably to the respectiveoutlet openings of the manifold pipes 9. So, too, in some instanceswhere it is desired to change the heating capacity of an apparatus to alesser degree than. that of the maximum capacity for which. the.apparatus is particularly designed, some of the jet nozzles l3 may beremoved and the outlet openings of the manifold pipes 9 obviouslyplugged in place thereof, in which instances, also, the respectivemixing and combustion chambers 8 where the jet nozzles are removed maybe obviously capped or otherwise closed in any approved manner.

The same apparatus as hereinabove described may, with but slightmodification or alteration thereof, be utilized for burning oil insteadof gas, that is to say, it is only necessary to provide in either one orboth of the two manifold connector pipes B which converge into each ofthe mixing and combustion chambers 8, lifter tubes I4 of restricted boreand smaller in outside diameter than the bore of the respectiveconnector pipes S, the upper ends of each pair of said lifter tubes i4being preferably mitered with a restricted space I therebetween, whichspace is alined above the orifice of the jet nozzle I3. The lower endsof said lifter tubes l4 terminate in proximity to the lower wall of themanifold pipes 4 and near the bottoms of said manifold pipes, as shownmore clearly in Figure 2.

With the apparatus altered as just above described, oil is supplied tothe air manifold pipes 4 in a body It to a level substantially in theplane of the axis of said pipes 4 (see Figure 2),, this body of oil inthe pipes 4 being maintained from a source (not shown) through amanifold pipe I! having a supply pipe l8 connected. thereto and runningfrom such source, and said pipe ll being located in a plane below saidmanifold pipes 4 and connected at intervals throughout its length tosaid pipes 4 by vertical connector pipes l9. In this connection, it ishere noted that the level of the body of oil It in the air manifoldpipes 4 must be maintained in a plane lower than that of the upper endsof the nipples 5 which afford the communicable connections between theauxiliary air manifold pipes 2 and said manifold pipes 4 whichcross-connect said pipes 2.

In operation of the apparatus as modified and adapted for the burning ofoil instead of gas. steam only is supplied under ample pressure to themanifold pipes 9 from the supply pipe H and the side pipe ll] of themanifold frame to which the supply pipe I i is connected, and, as thejets of steam from the respective nozzles 13 are directed upwardlythrough the restricted nozzles iii are directed upwardly through therestricted spaces [5 between the ends of the lifter tubes 14, oil isthereby drawn from the body thereof in the respective manifold pipes 4upwardly through said lifter tubes and the oil so lifted is sprayed andcommingled with the air which is brought into said manifold tubes 4 inthe spaces above the body of oil therein and forced upwardly through thespaces in the manifold connector pipes 6 not occupied by the liftertubes 14, the combustible mixture being thus created in the respectivemixing and combustion chambers 8 and ignited as in the burning of gas asfirst herein described.

The combined gas and oil burning apparatus of the. present inventionpossesses not only the provisions for controlling the supply ofconstituent elements in the combustible mixture, whether it be in theburning of either gas or oil, and making for practicability in varyingthe heating capacity of the apparatus according to the utilitarianpurposes for which. the apparatus is used, but the structure is furtherof such character that it is self-supportable in installation, that isto say, the necessity for providing a separate base or support thereforis obviated. So, too, the apparatus may be assembled at the place of useor it may be built into a boiler structure or other utility andtransported therewith as an integral part thereof to the place of use.

While the apparatus as illustrated and herein described is a practicalembodiment of the invention, it is obvious that considerablemodification and alteration is permissible Without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim. Theinvention, therefore, is not limited to the specific construction andarrangement shown.

What is claimed is:

A fuel burner, comprising a pair of spaced parallel hollow manifoldpipes, means for supplying a liquid fuel thereto, convergent connectorpipes attached at their lower ends to and in communication with themanifold pipes, a vertical hollow open-topped mixing and combustionchamber communicatin with the upper ends of the convergent connectorpipes, lifter tubes of a bore smaller than that of the connector pipesarranged in the connector pipes with their upper ends terminatingsubstantially at the center of the mixing and combustion chamber, asteam manifold arranged between and below the upper ends of theconnector pipes, and steam jets communicating with the steam manifoldand extending into the connector pipes and discharging steam between theends of the lifter tubes.

JAMES M. RYAN.

